Nick followed me into the house. “No, the other houses have their lights on,” he said, pointing to the neighbor’s house through the window. “Let me get a flashlight.” Shuffling through the kitchen, he pulled out our junk drawer and grabbed the flashlight we kept in there. He turned it on and brought it over to me. “Maybe the breaker tripped. Wanna check it out with me?”
“Sure,” I laughed. “I’m sure Scott will be busting through our door any second.” We started for the laundry room, but then a sound above caught my attention. “What was that?” Frozen in place, I kept my gaze on Nick. My heart pounded so hard, I felt sick.
Nick glanced up at the ceiling, eyes blazing. The footsteps were light, but audible as an intruder moved around. “Get out of here, now,” he hissed low. His fingers dug into my arm and he pushed me out the door.
I kept hold of his arms. “I’m not leaving you.”
He jerked out of my grasp and clutched my face, his grip firm. “Stop being so fucking stubborn. Go get Scott and call the police, now!”
Turning his back on me, I got one last look at h
im before he disappeared into the darkness. I ran out of the house, hands shaking as I tried to dig for my phone. It felt like I was running through quicksand, similar to that feeling you get when running away from someone in your dreams. You can never move fast enough.
“Hadley!” Scott shouted, rushing out of the garage. I ran to him and he pulled me to the side, shielding me.
“Someone’s in the house. Nick’s still in there,” I cried, my hands shaking out of control.
“Go next door and call the police. Don’t step out until I come for you.” Once I nodded, he took off inside the house.
Determined, I ran as fast as I could to my neighbor’s house. By the time I reached their door, I’d found my phone and called for help.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
“I’m Hadley Rivers and someone’s in my house. Please send help.” I gave the operator my address and hung up just as my neighbor, Gabriella Emerson, opened the door. She was dressed in her workout clothes with her midnight colored hair pulled high into a ponytail.
Her smile disappeared the second she looked at me. “Oh my God, Hadley, what’s going on?” she demanded. She quickly dragged me inside, and her husband, Paxton, hurried over. They were both MMA fighters and had seen their fair share of violence over the years. If anyone could help, it’d be them.
“Someone broke into my house. They’re still in there,” I shouted.
Gabriella grabbed my hands and squeezed. “Calm down, honey.”
“I can’t! Nick and Scott might be in trouble.”
Paxton started for the door. “I’m going over there.”
“Pax, wait!” Gabriella called. He took off and she huffed. “Dammit, why doesn’t he ever listen?” She rushed out after him and so did I.
Scott had told me not to leave their house, but I couldn’t listen. Again, it felt like everything moved in slow motion. I couldn’t get to them fast enough. Before we could reach the edge of my yard, a gunshot fired from within my house and I screamed, ducking down to the ground. Paxton and Gabriella did the same and crouched low. Dread settled into the pit of my stomach as another shot fired, and another.
I had to make sure they were okay. Charging toward my house, I didn’t get very far until Gabriella tackled me to the ground.
“Dammit Hadley, you’re not going in there.”
“Nick! Scott!” I shouted.
I tried to fight her off, but there was nothing I could do against an MMA fighter. Paxton glanced back at Gabriella, a silent plea on his face; Gabriella nodded. “Go.”
“Nick doesn’t have a gun. What if he’s hurt?” I cried. Gabriella loosened her grip, but kept a vigilant watch of the house. I wished I was strong like her. I’d be able to take care of myself instead of having others do it.
“Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine,” she said, but even I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
“Gabby!” Paxton yelled from inside the house. “I need help in here.”
She jerked me to my feet and we both took off for the house. When I got inside, the smell of blood was overwhelming. Everything came crashing down the second I saw Scott and Nick on the floor, covered in blood. But it was Scott who was unmoving, lifeless, his unseeing eyes staring up at the ceiling.
“Scott!” I cried. Paxton rushed over and took his pulse. The pained look on his face was answer enough. I stumbled over and fell to my knees beside him. “He has to be alive.” But he wasn’t; he was gone.
“Hadley,” Nick croaked. Gasping, I crawled over to him and placed a hand over his. Blood oozed out of the wound in his gut. He glanced over at Scott’s still form and closed his eyes. “He . . . saved me.”